Heart's Inferno - An Uchiha Madara Fanfic

15 - Feelings

Sara pov:

I could not bring myself to relax during the entire morning celebration and luncheon, let alone did Madara sama allow me to. He was in a bad mood the entire time, which everyone noticed, causing most to show halfhearted participation. The emperor, too, was concerned and had asked him if there was anything that had been unsatisfactory with the staying arrangements for him to be upset. He had only dismissed the emperor sharply with no explanation, setting off more worry in the poor man.

As the time went by, I was beginning to think that Madara sama did remember what had happened last night, because he was ignoring me completely. His cold shoulder was hurtful and I could say or do nothing about it, for it had made his rejection of me all the more obvious.

Oddly enough, I also noticed that two of the Uchiha women who had accompanied us were constantly looking my way, seeming angry. Their stares were uncomfortable, adding to Madara sama's bad mood, and it had me feeling suffocated. With the need for some relief, I excused myself from the banquet hall and stepped outside. I went to the koi pond gazebo - the place I had come to like during the short time here - and gazed over the water that shimmered in the sunlight. With a deep sigh, I leaned against the railings and let my gaze follow the koi fish that swam lazily in the water.

"Sara sama." The voice I heard had me shutting my eyes, wishing to groan. However, I inhaled deeply and leaned away from the railings to face Prince Akihito.

I bowed respectfully in greeting, "Good afternoon, Your Highness."

"Good afternoon, Sara sama. I came to apologize for my behavior last night," he said, coming to stand next to me. "I am embarrassed by it. I must have come off as desperate to you."

"A little," I answered. "Is there any reason why you were so insistent yesterday?"

He was silent for a few minutes, seeming to gather his thoughts. He took a deep inhale and looked Ober the koi pond too, his eyes getting distant.

"You see, the people around me have only ever seen me for the title I carry and not for the person I am on the inside. Most often forget that I am a human, too, with likes and dislikes and things that I am comfortable and uncomfortable with doing," he said, looking back at me with a kind expression. "I did not get that vibe from you, right from your appearance to the way you spoke to me, albeit respectfully. I thought that I might have finally met someone who would see me for me and the thought of losing that chance just overwhelmed me when your flat out rejected me."

"I see what you mean," I replied. I knew what it felt like to be judged by outer appearance, especially in the fashion industry, but his behavior was uncalled for, and a bit rude no matter what his reason.

"Would you consider my proposal if I asked you properly, or have I already ruined my reputation?" he asked, sounding a little sheepish.

"You're reputation is fine, Your Highness, but I still can't consider your proposal. I have several reasons for that, but I think that the most appropriate for that would be that I don't believe in love at first sight. When you know nothing about a person, it's a bit farfetched to think that you will be happy with them in the long run," I said.

"But we can try," he mumbled.

"I'm sorry." I regarded him with an apologetic smile. "Besides, there's also the fact that I have someone that I like."

"No, please don't apologize, Sara sama. I'm sorry for being so pressuring yesterday. I apologize if it caused any problems with Madara sama, seeing that he seemed rather angry yesterday. Thank you for hearing me out though."

Before I could respond to him, we heard a voice behind us, "Your Highness, I wish to speak with Sara."

It was of one of the two women who had been eyeing me since this morning. I didn't quite like the vibe she was giving off, or the sharpness of the stare she was giving me despite speaking with the prince. Nonetheless, the prince excused himself to leave the two of us alone.